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New IT service center opens in Bldg. 9001

  • Published
  • By Brandice J. O'Brien
  • Tinker Public Affairs
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  Information technology equipment and services support is closer than ever before to the customers of Bldg. 9001. Today marks the grand opening of the 72nd Air Base Wing Communications Directorate Consolidated Services Center.

Tucked between a staircase and vending machines at Bldg. 9001's Post DD46 is a nook. Inside, with a golf cart and tricycle parked out front, resides a team of five IT support personnel who stand ready to assist customers with a multitude of IT and communications-related services. They can reset common access cards, or CACs; personal identification numbers, issue new IT hardware or resolve software issues.

"Our primary goal is to not ever have a user be caught in a work stoppage, or be down for IT support for an extended period of time," said Dave Fralish, 72nd ABW/SC chief of Network Operations. "They don't have to go to Bldgs. 3001G or 460 for IT support anymore. It's a premier facility for IT support and there's a full range of support we can provide."

Prior to opening the center, officials conducted a survey and determined it takes a Bldg. 9001 employee roughly an hour-and-a-half to travel to Bldgs. 3001G or 460 to get their CAC reset and return to work. Yet, if said employee could seek help within their own building, the entire process could be done within 15 minutes.

"It boils down to reducing mechanic down time for IT related issues, which drives throughput," said Mike Wiles, 72nd ABW/SC Base Software manager. "This is where the communications directorate can impact mechanics by decreasing the amount of travel and wait time. This is our piece of it."

While the service center is new to Bldg. 9001 personnel, it has been the brainchild of communications directorate officials for nearly three years. A year-and-a-half ago, 72nd ABW/SC started implementing the plans by claiming a spot in Bldg. 9001.

The space was packed floor-to-ceiling with stuff leftover from the building's days as a General Motors facility. The fiscally-constrained directorate couldn't hire a crew to do the moving and cleaning, so several volunteers spent three weeks, roughly 700 man-hours moving, cleaning, vacuuming and setting up walls and desks in the space.

"We finally have a home and it's a great home," said Kendall Kingsbury, IT Equipment specialist for the service center.

In addition to working network and hardware issues, the center also receives and stores IT equipment and its personnel can ship IT assets in bulk quantities as necessary.

"This is one more pivotal step in our efforts to focus on the user experience," said Mike Doolin, director of the communications directorate. "Coupled with our IT performance monitoring capability in the Bldg. 3001G Directorate Operations Center, it moves us one step closer to proactive problem pre-emption."

For more information, call 734-HELP.